The 2022 Gay Games, which was scheduled to be held in Hong Kong, will be postponed for a year because of COVID-19 restrictions.
This development was announced by the organizers that earlier hoped for Asia’s inaugural hosting of the event to raise hope in a region where intolerance remains common.
According to Dennis Philipse, co-chair of the organizing team, many parts of the world, including across Asia, are still struggling to contain the coronavirus and faced uneven access to vaccines. “We felt that delaying the Games until November 2023 will enhance the likelihood of delivering on our promise to have the Hong Kong Games serve as a beacon of hope for the wider community across the region,” Philipse said.
Hong Kong will host the games in November next year.
Gay Games was last held in Paris in 2018.
It was first held in 1982, with the 2022 games expected to draw 12,000 participants, 75,000 spectators and 3,000 volunteers from 100 countries for 36 sporting events.
